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Welcome to the blog of Connor Boyack, a 20-something web designer, political economist, and budding philanthropist.
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Vote Republican to Keep Mr. Jones Away!

Posted by Connor on October 19th, 2006
pig

So I just finished Animal Farm this morning. What a great book. The intriguing part is that it was written about Stalinist Russia, yet as I read it I drew countless parallels to our current administration and political situation.

In the book, Mr. Jones (a human) runs the farm. The animals revolt, kicking out their enemy. The pigs (being the most intellectual creatures) take over, and essentially turn the farm into a dictatorship. Squealer (a pig), the representative of Napoleon (the head pig), uses the thread of Mr. Jones’ possible return for vengeance to keep the other animals in submission of Napoleon’s ever-expanding powers, decrees, and policies.

Said Squealer:

“Discipline, comrades, iron discipline! That is the watchword for today. One false step, and our enemies would be upon us. Surely, comrades, you do not want Jones back?”

Once again this argument was unanswerable. Certainly the animals did not want Jones back; if the holding of debates on Sunday mornings was liable to bring him back, then the debates must stop.

So as I read this, I increasingly thought about our current administration using the looming threat of Al-Qaeda sleeper cells, operatives, and planned terrorist campaigns as a way to submit the populace at large to ever-expanding powers, decrees, and policies. As a result, we have the Patriot Act, and as of a couple days ago, the heinous Military Commissions Act of 2006.

As further evidence, I just came across this page showing that the Republican National Convention is using Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda in their new campaign ads, using fearmongering and the threat of terror as a way to subjugate the American people and court their vote.

Despicable.

***************

7 comments so far. Care to chime in?

Nice post.

We may not agree on some things, but I really like a lot of your political posts, Connor. Keep it up.

#1 Steve M. | October 19th, 2006 3:28 PM

That’s funny. I could have sworn the barn wall said something different yesterday. But I sure don’t want that Mr Jones to come back. No sir. So I must work harder!

#2 fontor | October 19th, 2006 7:04 PM

i remember reading Animal Farm in junior high. It was required by our district. I always thought it was required due to the obvious political symbolism, and to encourage us as young boys to willingly give up our lives in America’s war in Vietnam. Another 70s classic, Johnny Got His Gun, was actually taken out of our public school library.

I honestly never thought we’d see another Vietnam in American. But, once again, I was wrong. Another war we can’t win and we can’t give up.

#3 Robert | October 19th, 2006 8:12 PM

Robert, I also had to read Animal Farm in school, though I think it was during high school. I can’t quite remember. Either way, I disregarded it as simply a story about animals. I was so ignorant that I was not able to draw any correlation or symbolism out of it. That’s why I chose to re-read it after my eyes have been opened, and boy was it enlightening!

#4 Connor | October 19th, 2006 10:12 PM

Well, during the 60s, we were well-schooled in totalitarian communist governments. There was no way we couldn’t see Lenin and Stalin in those animals. Also, if you want to read a book that will forever make you a pacifist, I suggest Johnny Got His Gun. They made an unsuccessful movie out of it in the 70s. It was written during the 1930s, and becomes popular again during unpopular wars. It’s about a WWI vet who is blind, deaf and immobile due to a war injury. The author was blacklisted during the 50s.

#5 Robert | October 19th, 2006 10:23 PM

Ah, Metallica used footage from the movie for their video for “One.” Great song!

#6 Dan | October 20th, 2006 5:39 AM

And to show that the GOP isn’t the only party that uses fearmongering tactics such as these to pressure the electorate on an issue, read up on the Daisy campaign commercial (watch it here) used during the LBJ run for office. Same fearmongering, different party.

#7 Connor | November 12th, 2006 12:36 AM

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